Cultivating strategic foresight in practise: A relational perspective

Sarpong, David; Maclean, Mairi

Abstract

© 2015 Elsevier Inc. Drawing on relationalism as a theoretical lens, we examine how normative organising structures, rights and authority relationships influence the cultivation of strategic foresight among organisational members lower down the organisational hierarchy. We adopt a case-based approach involving three software firms, whose innovation teams served as our empirical research sites. Our study highlights the triadic influence of individual, organisational and contextual organising practises on the cultivation of strategic foresight. We identify four relational assemblages of practises that enable (or impede) the enactment of strategic foresight in practise. These include strategic conversations, perspective taking and reflexivity-in-practise, over-emphasis on formal knowledge and technical rationality, and benevolent conspiracies. We add to research on strategic foresight by extending our understanding of the vital role that lower-level employees may play in the cultivation of organisational 'foresightfulness'. We therefore urge management advisors to accord lower-level input recognizably respectful consideration, if not adoption.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 13, 2015
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Dec 16, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 30, 2017
• Journal: Journal of Business Research
• Print ISSN: 0148-2963
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 69
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 2812-2820
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.12.050
• Keywords: innovation teams, relationalism, social practice, strategic foresight
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/904369
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.12.050
• Contract Date: Jun 14, 2016